


The Nightingale, A Retelling

by jeni_andtheafterthought



Series: Draco/Harry Fairy Tales [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Happily Ever After, M/M, OOC, Pining, The Nightingale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:31:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13557891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeni_andtheafterthought/pseuds/jeni_andtheafterthought
Summary: A retelling of a classic fairy tale.





	The Nightingale, A Retelling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [unicornsandphoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unicornsandphoenix/gifts).



> The Nightingale, the inspiration for this piece, was written by Hans Christian Anderson, though the edition I used as a reference for this particular retelling was written by Lisa Hunt.

Once upon a time, there lived a young king in Gryffindor Castle.  The Gryffindor kingdom was known for metalworking.  Adventurers traveled across the lands for the finest swords.  Musicians came in hopes for fine instruments with the purest tones.  Many other witches and wizards arrived from afar to purchase or commission jewelry and other fine or precious gifts to woo their true love.  The king, King Harry, was proud of his kingdom and thought he knew them well until word came that a prince was visiting the kingdom while his coronation crown was made by a crafter only known for her music boxes.

Struck by curiosity, King Harry asked to see the prince so he may ask how he’d come to know of Sophia and her music boxes and why he would want a crown from her.  The king’s invitation was accepted; that evening, the prince of the Slytherin Kingdom dined with the king.

“Surely you know she doesn’t make crowns.  Her music boxes hold magic in their songs and are unquestionably impressive, but you cannot wear one,” the king said to his guest.

“With the music they play, no one of the Slytherin court would mind if I did,” Prince Draco replied.

“Sophia is a remarkable witch.  How did you decide on her?”

“Of all the four kingdoms, she is the most renowned at her craft.  She made a music box for me once before.  Afterward, I promised her I would trust her with all my greatest commissions,” the prince explained.  “When I went abroad to further my education, my mother missed me fiercely.  Sophia was able to make a music box that could sing to my mother when I wasn’t there to sing myself.” 

The king was delighted at such a notion, “You sing?”

“Of course,” the prince answered.

“Could I persuade you to sing for me?” the king asked.

Prince Draco agreed and sang the most beautiful melody the king had ever heard.  

“You sing more beautifully than a nightingale,” the king said.  

There is a saying favored by romantics and poets. _When your magic reaches out to the magic of another, you’ve found your soulmate_.  King Harry was not prone to flights of fancy. However, what he just heard was magic and his heart, his own magic, was reaching out to it.  

Upon seeing the king moved to tears, the prince smiled softly.

“Prince Draco, will you stay with me while you await your crown’s completion?” the king asked.

The prince agreed.  The two men were inseparable for the course of his stay.  He was seated next to the king’s throne, dined with the king, and accompanied the king during outings.  During one evening walk through the castle gardens, the prince sang for the king once more.  Again moved to tears by the prince’s beautiful voice, the king offered him a delicate white gold bracelet made by one of the best jewelry makers in the kingdom.

The prince thanked him, but refused the gift saying, “Your tears were gift enough.”

The time came when the crown was finished.  The king invited Sophia to the castle hoping to keep the prince for a few minutes longer.

The crown was truly beautiful. Delicate and intricate where King Harry’s coronation crown was solid and stoic.  The crown was truly an impressive piece of art.

Sophia had something for the king as well. She placed a small box in his hand. The box was as wide as his palm. Emeralds and onyx was embedded in the silver metalwork around the sides; across the top were the words “the nightingale.”  When King Harry turned the key on the box, he was gifted with the same melody the prince first sang for him.

The king offered to pay for the box but Sophia refused payment saying, “Thank you, but the prince was more than fair with his payment for both the crown and the box.”  After a few more remarks at her incredible work, Sophia left the king and prince alone.

“If I could stay and sing for you, I would forever.  As it is, I do have a kingdom awaiting my return,” the prince said softly.  He wound the box and placed it back in the king’s hands.  By the end of the song, the prince was gone.

* * *

The music box provided beautiful music for years, though the song became more distorted over time until one day the box remained silent.  The king sent for the crafter of the box hoping it could be mended.  Sophia tinkered with it and did the best she could.

“Without him here to add his own magic, I can’t recreate the song exactly.  It can be wound, but I would discourage more than one use each year,” she said.

In the absence of the song and the prince’s magic, the king felt his own magic reach out farther and farther in hopes of finding the prince’s magic reaching back.  The king’s magic grew thin and began weakening the king’s health.  Soon, without the prince or his song, the king grew very ill.

As he lay in his bedchamber, he felt a weight pressing down on him.  Death was standing over him wearing the king’s own crown and cloak of invisibility, and wielding the king’s wand.  With his magic stretched so thin, he was unable to protect himself.  All members of the Gryffindor court thought the king to be dying and left him in peace for what they thought to be his final evening.  

In a moment between life and death, the prince, now King Draco of Slytherin, returned to King Harry’s side.  Draco took Harry’s hand and sang for him the song from years before.  Harry felt his magic reach out, and this time, Draco’s magic reached in return.  

King Draco’s soft and beautiful melody moved even Death to tears.  Death withdrew, leaving King Harry’s wand, crown, and cloak behind.  With the weight of death no longer on his chest, the king took a deep reviving breath and exhaled the words, “I’ve missed you.”

King Draco smiled and answered, “I’ve missed you, too.”

In the morning, the court came to the bedchamber prepared to declare the passing of their beloved king.  To their surprise, the king was well and smiling, standing hand in hand with the King of Slytherin.  

Now an established king in his own right, King Draco was free to confess his feelings to King Harry.  As was his wish a few years previous, he was now free to offer his songs, his magic, and his love forever.  In return he would accept more than King Harry’s tears.  He accepted his smile and his magic, his love and his hand in marriage.

Talk spread quickly of the two kingdoms uniting.  It was no surprise to either kingdom.  Both kings were beloved and respected by their courtiers and subjects. The union was supported by all four kingdoms.  

In the many prosperous years to follow, Draco never again gave of his magic for a music box.  He sang for no one but Harry.  Harry never once took it for granted and cherished those melodies for the rest of their lives.


End file.
